


Burnt Out Star

by Timewatcher9000



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary, Nonbinary Character, Other, Platonic Relationship, nonbinary reader, teen reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 03:47:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11455317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewatcher9000/pseuds/Timewatcher9000
Summary: Drip. Drip. Drip.Down goes the blood.Drip. Drip. Drip.A body splashes in mud.Drip. Drip. Drip.





	Burnt Out Star

“You fought an alien race, made out of rocks, with water?”

“That’s right, they never saw it coming.”

“You are absolutely insane, Doctor.”

“I get that a lot, but quite frankly so are you.”

The teen stuck their tongue out at the man in front of them, “I am not insane.” The Doctor turned his attention back to the controls of the T.A.R.D.I.S. “Maybe not, but you certainly was born in the wrong time,” he said. The teen stared at him, smiling, “What do you mean by that?” The Doctor, continuing to tinker with the T.A.R.D.I.S, replied, “You are so much more ahead of your time. Your ideas, reasoning, and mind are much too advance for the people of your day to understand. You do not fit into the labels that humans set. You belong outside the binary of male and female, girl and boy, or masculine and feminine. You are simply a human, existing outside of all that. Not many people of your day agree or understand that.” The high-schooler smiled shyly and looked to the ground. “I’m not special or anything. There are so many other people like me. I just haven’t met anyone else in person, only online,” they rebutted, trying to brush off the admiration that was radiating off the Doctor, who let out a small ‘yes’ of agreement.

“So, where would you like to go? Ancient Rome? Perhaps visit the Persians,” the Doctor asked. The teen thought for a moment. They weren’t exactly sure where they wanted to go. If they were to be completely honest with themselves, they didn’t want to go anywhere. “Do we...do we have to go somewhere today? I sort of just want to stay here and chill for a bit,” they answered. The Doctor seemed surprised for a moment before he nodded and took a seat at the table that the teen was resting on. “Well, we still have to do something even if we stay here,” he trailed off. The teen hummed in thought then soon spoke, “I don’t know anything about you and you know nothing about me. If I’m going to be your space-child than we should know at least a little about each other.”

“Space-child? Where the bloody hell did you get that from?” the Doctor questioned, looking at the “space-child” in front of him weirdly. “It’s a strict aesthetic,” said the teen who was ready to get on with the bonding time, “and I suppose I’ll start us off then. I am (y/n) and my pronouns are they/them. Now it’s your turn.” The Doctor raised a brow and introduced himself too, “I am called the Doctor and I suppose my pronouns are he/him. I am a Timelord who travels space in the with the goal of helping people.” (Y/n) nodded at the information and soon the cycle was set into motion.

“I am nothing but a humble farmer attending to my memes. I originate from a planet called Earth.”

“Memes?”

“It’s an art style. But give me another fact.”

“Never heard of an art style called ‘memes’. You aren’t pulling my leg?”

“Just give me a fact.”

“Well, I regenerate whenever my injuries get too bad.”

“Wow! Really? That is soooooo cool! And if it counts for anything I’ve been dead inside for as long as I could remember. Memes and caffeine is what keeps me thriving. Also, proving people wrong.”

“Sounds like we’ll get along then.”

“Not if you don’t like my emo music then no. I told you, I have a strict aesthetic I have to follow.”

“Which is?”

“A pastel punk space-kid.”

“That’s oddly specific,” The Doctor said, a bit confused and amused. (Y/n) laughed and stood on top of the table that they were sitting on. “I just thought of where I wanted to go!” The Doctor stood up abruptly and was soon at the controls of the T.A.R.D.I.S once again. “Where to then?” The Doctor shouted in excitement. (Y/n) chuckled at the childish attitude the Doctor adopted so suddenly. “Was I boring you that much?” they asked him with a small smile as they climbed off the table. “What? No. of course not. Only a little bit,” replied the Doctor as he was readying the T.A.R.D.I.S. “I want to go to see Alan Turing in Bletchley Park. You know? The man who was in charge of breaking the Enigma Code of the Nazis during World War II,” (y/n) said, sitting down in a nearby chair.

“Ah yes, Alan Turing. What a fine young man. I met him when I crash landed in London. He’s very athletic, he was running to Bletchley Park in matter of fact. He’s a very unique person if I must say so myself,” the Doctor rambled. “You met Alan Turing! Like, the Alan Turing who cracked the Enigma. The Alan Turing who changed the course of computer science. The Alan Turing who was wrongly prosecuted for his sexuality,” (y/n) exclaimed happily, “he’s such a huge inspiration. I can’t believe I’m going to be meeting Alan Turing. Does he remember you? If he does it might give me brownie points.”

The Doctor chuckled at the star-struck teen. He raised a brow and teased them, “Does someone have a little crush on the great Alan Turing.” (y/n) rolled their eyes at the small teasing and ignored him. They instead settled for watching as his hand moved about the controllers ready to take off. Just as they were about to start another conversation they, along with the Doctor, got slammed to the floor as the T.A.R.D.I.S had a rough take-off. “Oh, shit! That hurt,” (y/n) chuckled as they clung to the floor trying to find stability. “What did I tell you about that type of language!” the Doctor shouted as he attempted to get a grip on the T.A.R.D.I.S and her controls. “Sorry Who, It slipped out,” (y/n) said, continuing to laugh. “Don’t let it happen again, because here we go!” the Doctor shouted as he let out a hearty laugh. “Chill out!” (y/n) shouted as they slid across the floor while having a giggling fit.

The pair soon were stable as the T.A.R.D.I.S landed gently. The duo still had yet to cease their giggles, but the two didn't seem to care as they automatically stepped out the T.A.R.D.I.S. “My head hurts now,” (y/n) whined as they held the smile on their face and let out small chuckles. “So where are we? This doesn’t look like Bletchley Park…” (y/n) trailed off, trying not to show their disappointment. “I’m actually not too sure where the old girl dropped us off. Not to worry though,” the Doctor explained, sensing the disappointment of (yn),” you will meet Mr. Turing.” (y/n) smiled a bit at the lame attempts of cheering them up. “Don’t worry Who, I don’t mind being here,” they said while grabbing the back of the the Doctor’s jacket. The Doctor turned back to them. “Having a look around wouldn’t hurt,” he said, taking the lead and keeping (y/n) close to him. “Don’t run off anywhere. The old girl must’ve brought us here for a reason,” the Doctor stated, pulling out his sonic screwdriver to examine the area. “What are you finding, Who?” (y/n) asked, growing slightly nervous by the surroundings around.

The air was extremely thick, it almost hurt (y/n) to breath. The Doctor didn’t seem to be having trouble, but then again, he was always better at hiding how he really felt. The sky was a murky gray and (y/n) couldn’t feel a single shred of warmth from a sun or any source of heat. “Doctor,” (y/n) whispered. The call of his name made him stop to turn around at them. (y/n) never called him by his real name they usually just referred to him as ‘doc’ or ‘who.’ (y/n) nuzzled themselves into him, trying to get as much warmth as they could. “I’m cold. Like very cold,” (y/n) finished. The Doctor simply held them close, “Do you need to go back to the T.A.R.D.I.S? I can take you back,” the Doctor said, feeling how frozen their arms and fingers had become. He could feel their pinkish fingertips from his clothes as they wrapped their hands around his torso, within the jacket. The chilliness of their body was very apparent, and the Doctor couldn’t bring himself to force (y/n) along. “Go back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. She’ll take care of you.” (y/n) nodded and felt themselves growing more sleepy as their head started to pound. The Doctor, feeling them go limp, quickly got a grasp on them. “What the hell is happening to them?”

(y/n) woke up with a start, “Shit, my head hurts like a bitch,” they complained as they slowly pulled themselves up. “Language!” the Doctor shouted from across the room. “Sorry, but what happened? And where are we,” (y/n) asked while looking around at the well-decorated room. “You went unconscious out there and you are currently resting in my room. How are you feeling,” came the quick response. “Oh, well. I- my head hurts and my stomach doesn’t feel too good either.” The Doctor got up at the mention of the aching head and stomach to get some medication. “I’ll be back (y/n). Just stay there.” (y/n) watched with boredom as he walked out, “I didn’t plan to go out anywhere in the first place.” 

When the Doctor came back he was relieved to see (y/n) right where he told them to be. He's had so many companions go against his advice and directions, however, (y/n) was always good at following orders. It almost makes him wonder why they were such a problem back at home. When the Doctor found (y/n) they had been in the streets, all beaten and bruised. He never asked for exact details and the bruises didn't seem that bad when he had examined it closer, but (y/n) didn't want to go back home they kept insisting to come along to the point that they were even tearing up. The Doctor, now thinking back on it, wasn't sure why they had wanted to come with him so bad. Were they in danger? Perhaps they simply hated their town? Or maybe they hated their family? Either way he knew he couldn't leave them alone. 

"Are you just going to stand there? What are you thinking about," (y/n) asked as they watched the Doctor, who was simply standing in place staring off. "Nothing really, just wondering about what made you want to come here so bad," he explained, placing a cold rag to their head. (y/n) shrugged their shoulders, "I don't really know. I just didn't have the best school or family life. I feel kind of selfish when I think about it. I was actually really good in school in terms of grades. I got straight A's, sure most of it came from cheating and me stressing over getting in trouble with my family but still. And my family wasn't abusive or anything like that. I just never was close with them especially when I recently." (y/n) paused for moment and got their memory together while stuttering out a bunch of 'um's. "My family and I, with the exception of my cousins and siblings, never got along the greatest. I always fought with my dad who is, in my opinion, an absolute shitty human being. We use to butt heads all the time. He used to piss me off to end. I don't understand how you don't act like a father but then be demanded to be treated as one. I'm afraid that's not how it works, sir. There are also a number of reasons why he's a bad person, but its whatever. It's not like I ever need to see him again," (y/n) vented, getting angrier by the second. The Doctor could see their face contort into an odd mix of disgust and pain. "And my mom and me never got along. I mean, I love her to death and she deserves the best, but she's still very mean to me. She was the person who I first came out to, but like....I regret every minute of it. She didn't hurt me or anything like that. She just said some things that made me fel bad. So when I told her about how I identify she was okay with it, until I told her about my name change and that I wanted to transition. She told me that I was over complicating my life and that if I really loved someone of my same sex then I should deal with it instead of trying to change my body so that "I'm straight". She then started to talk about how all these other kids are killing themselves because they aren't getting the attention they want when it comes to this type of thing. I had started to cry. She then started to call me pathetic for crying over "a fucking name" and she started to imitate the way I looked and sounded and then she kept asking me if I was going to kill myself," (y/n) choked out, slowly starting to bawl their eyes out.

The Doctor found himself, once again, allowing for (y/n) fall into his arms. "Hey, calm down. You don't need to finish if you don't want to," he cooed to the shaken teen. "No, I want to finish," they hiccuped, "She kept trying to victimize herself by asking me why I was putting her through this and that I was being greedy for wanting to change my name after she had "gifted" me with it. She told me that she and the rest of family would call me by my birthname and that the only validation my name will ever get is as a nickname between my "toxic" friends. She then got angry again when I wouldn't stop crying and told me that she's more disappointed in me now than she would have been if I had come out as gay." The Doctor could feel an uneasy feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, he continued to console the heartbroken teen. "A name is not a gift. It is not something to hold above someone else in the hopes of bringing them down. Your parents give you a name until the time comes for you to name yourself," the Doctor stated, thinking back on his own name. After all, it was simply a word that he picked out. 

"That's not the first time she's made me feel bad either. My mom, along with the rest of the family, would constantly make fun of me and pick on anything I did. They claim that they aren't making fun of me and are only telling the "truth" but they don't seem to realize how rude they are. They make fun of the way I walk, talk, dress, and god forbid I ever did anything wrong. I was just so sick of it," (y/n) finished, numbly looking at the ground. The Doctor, rubbing circles on their back, couldn't help but draw his own conclusions on the state that he found the young child in. They were all beaten and bloody...perhaps it was....

"What happened when I first met you. Did your family..." the Doctor couldn't find himself to finish that statement. (y/n)'s eyes widen and they shook their head 'no.' (y/n) explained, "My family wasn't the best but they never abused me." The Doctor raised his brows at the fact that (y/n) didn't for a minute think about how mental and emotional abuse are actual problems too. He ignored it however, instead trying to figure out the story behind the beating they took right before he met them. "Did you get jumped from some kids at school," he asked, trying not to pry too deep. (y/n) shook their head 'no' once again, but this time they didn't bother giving a verbal answer or looking at him. "(y/n)," the Doctor said seriously, "who did that to you."

He didn't get an answer.

If their family didn't do it.

School kids didn't do it.

Then does that mean that...

"Oh no (y/n)," the Doctor muttered as they cried harder into him.


End file.
